Chennai Airport (MAA) Flights & Flight Status

Chennai Airport can get busy, the terminal layout is temporarily a bit confusing, and it has some quirks that are worth being aware of. But with direct airport metro and rail connections and a new terminal in the works we can look forward to a more streamlined future for the airport, and in the meantime it’s actually not too bad to use.

Navigating Chennai Airport

Chennai Airport technically has four terminals, but only three are currently in operation. Terminals 1 and 4 handle domestic flights, while Terminal 2 handles international service. Terminal 3 is being demolished and an expanded Terminal 2 will take up some of that space. Construction is ongoing and is said to be on course to wrap up by 2026.

Approaching the terminal can get confusing because as of 2023 Air India and Air India Express domestic flights (plus Vistara until they get merged into Air India) use Terminal 4 which is at the far end of the airport complex and best reached on some roads by following signs for the international terminal; and not all information has been updated to reflect this online.

A note about arrivals

Chennai Airport recently switched over to a new system for pickups at arrivals that has pros and cons. Overall I’m in favor of it because it reduces noise and chaos. Here’s how it works: when you step out to the curb, there are almost no vehicles on the road out front. Instead there are buggies waiting to take passengers to another area, centered around a parking garage, where they can catch their rides including taxis and Ubers. You might wait a minute for the buggy to fill up and leave, but it’s pretty effective.

Tip: if you need to change terminals, there are buggies for that too.

Accessing the terminal and security

Like at every other airport in India you’ll need ID and a boarding pass or ticket in order to access your terminal. And in Chennai they have a quirk that I’ve not come across much at other Indian airports: to go through security and to board your aircraft, staff will insist on seeing your “sequence number”. That’s a number assigned to you based on when you checked in. The reason that’s important is that some mobile boarding passes like in Apple’s Wallet will not show this. However boarding passes within airline apps usually will, so keep those handy!

On the other hand, actually going through security at Chennai usually works pretty well. But just as in other Indian airports, you should plan to remove nearly everything from your bag in advance, especially if it looks remotely electronic (this includes chargers and cables) – that’ll end up saving you time in the long run. I find the staff here are usually friendly so it’s usually an okay experience.

DigiYatra and facial recognition

If you travel through Indian airports, including at Chennai, you may notice lanes marked “DigiYatra” for passing through each security check along the way. This is a facial recognition system that greatly speeds up the process but is only open to holders of Indian identity cards at the moment. However they’re beginning to trial this for international flights and the goal is to expand it to those with foreign passports. So if you plan to fly quite a bit around India, watch this space!

Airlines & destinations

Chennai offers an enormous amount of domestic service to all kinds of cities in India, both major and much less so. You’ll find all the major domestic airlines here including IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, Akasa and more. From Delhi to Vijayawada, you’ll be well covered for domestic trips from here.

Tip: Chennai also sees a lot of service to Port Blair in India’s Andaman Islands. These are interesting because they’re much closer to Thailand than India, and offer some pretty unique flora and fauna – as well as beautiful beaches. If you were looking for a less-traveled choice of place to visit in India, you might consider this.

International service

Chennai commands quite a bit of international service – and it could make for a nice entry point to India as opposed to the much larger Delhi and the single-runway (and hence delay-prone) Mumbai. Most of the middle eastern carriers are here, some with multiple daily flights like Qatar Airways and Emirates, which make for easy connections from the US and Europe. Air India serves Dubai nonstop. Further afield, British Airways serves London, and Lufthansa offers Frankfurt.

There’s also plenty of regional service to nearby countries, including Biman and US-Bangla to Dhaka and Sri Lankan and FitsAir to Colombo. Air Asia serves Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and more. And there are multiple daily flights to Singapore, including on the Singapore Airlines A350 which is a very nice ride.

Food & retail outlets

Chennai has quite a few options for shopping and grabbing a bite or a drink – too many to really list here, and of course it depends on the terminal. Terminal 4 probably has the most limited selection of them all, but you’ll find some things there too. One outlet I’d recommend is Chai Waale in Terminal 1 – if you like chai that is. I’ve yet to meet anyone traveling in India that doesn’t like chai. So if you happen to end up there, make sure to stop by.

Getting to and from the airport

The fact that there is an airport metro station and a rail station connected to the airport really sets Chennai apart from most others in the country. Another perk: the airport is only about 20 minutes from the center of the city (unlike many Indian airports which are an hour-plus away). And although there is traffic – this is India after all – it’s usually not so bad. That means getting to and from, whether you choose public transport or taxi, is pretty painless.

Taxi

Taxis and Ubers are plentiful at Chennai, and I usually opt for Uber because that’s what I’m used to, it works well and it’s affordable. As mentioned you’ll need to take a buggy from arrivals curbside to meet your Uber, but that’s not usually an issue.

Tip: I’ve found that the nicer hotels don’t charge exorbitant rates for pickups here, partly because it’s not so far from town – and it can be a really nice option to have your driver meet you at arrivals and take you through the buggy process. Cars will often be more spacious and comfortable than Ubers, as well.

Train

It’s possible to get on the Chennai Metro and suburban train from the terminals with minimal hassle, which is great news. An underground walkway connects the Tirusalam train station to the airport. But most people will be looking to take the metro into town. Look for signs for the Metro in arrivals – you’ll need to get an elevator up to a set of travellators and after just a short walk, you’ll be there. It’s the cheapest way into town and depending on your final destination, during trafficky times, it might also be the quickest.

Lounges

Each terminal at Chennai features a “Travel Club” lounge, each of which is a Priority Pass lounge. They’re all reasonably nice, and offer some respite from the terminal with free food and drink, as you’d expect. In Terminal 4 you’ll also find an Air India Maharashtra lounge – it’s a little bit hidden, up an elevator not far from where you exit security. It’s not an airport to arrive early at for the lounges, but they do the trick.

Airport Wi-Fi

Don’t count on getting Wi-Fi at Chennai Airport unless you have an Indian phone number to receive a one-time password on. This is an unfortunate problem at just about every airport in India. What I do is make sure I have working data on my phone via an eSim or similar, to avoid the hassle.

What to do on a layover

Because Chennai Airport is relatively close to the city, and because of the metro service, if you have several hours of a layover here you have a lot of options for things to do. Head into town, check out a temple, go to the beach even.

If you’d like to get great views of the city, consider the St. Thomas Mount church, located on a hill near the airport with a great terrace from which you can gaze out towards the sprawling town and the sea. As a bonus, the aircraft inbound to Chennai will usually glide right past, so if you’re a planespotter, even better.

Airport hotels

There are a number of hotels around the airport but few are memorable or recommendable, if you ask me. However the Trident Hotel can be a good option if you want something close and pretty nice.

As another option: the Collection O Grace Residency is a basic hotel that’s accessible from within the airport by foot, without the need to exit the buildings. It’s relatively cheap, too, so for a blend of convenience and price, it’s a pretty good option.